Bouncing brothers from Central Mass. break world trampoline record

Monday

Apr 14, 2014 at 6:00 AMApr 14, 2014 at 9:01 AM

By Susan Spencer TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

HOLLAND — A trio of brothers from this tiny town on the Connecticut border are flying high after they set the Guinness World Record for the highest trampoline jump by a team. What's more, they did it on national TV.

"It was definitely fun to do it with my brothers," said Sean M. Kennedy, 26, whose prone, belly-flop-style bounce hit the bar marking 22 feet, 1 inch off the trampoline surface. He was propelled by brothers Thomas J. "T.J." Kennedy, 22, and Eric C. Kennedy, 20, who bounced as "kippers" to launch the stunt man.

The only brother who doesn't jump is Christopher, 27, who is afraid of heights, according to the young mens' father, Michael F. Kennedy.

The record-breaking event was featured live on NBC's "Today" show Tuesday at Rockefeller Plaza in New York City. The jump was part of a "Spring Breakers" series to show people trying to break world records.

NBC was particularly interested in pulling together the brothers for the show. The network filmed a background video of the trio showing their stuff on a trampoline at the Greendale branch YMCA in Worcester, Michael said.

Sean broke his own previous Guinness World Record of 22 feet, 0.52 inch, which he set with two unrelated teammates on July 13, 2012, in Atlantic City, N.J.

The Kennedys and other athletes perform trampoline and "transparent wall" jumping shows worldwide with their family business, Flippenout Productions, which Michael, a former certified public accountant, manages.

Laurie E. Kennedy, the mother of this bouncing brood, stays out of the athletic fray, however, working full time for the state Department of Environmental Protection in Worcester.

"Sean's the one that pulled us into it," Michael said in an interview, describing the family's all-out involvement with trampoline jumping.

He said Sean became enthralled after visiting an all-trampoline gym, the Trampoline Place, in Plainfield, Conn., during a school activities trip. He was 15.

The coach, Bill Young, encouraged Sean to come for training. Four years later, he was at the Olympic trials, competing against athletes who had been at it for at least 10 or 15 years.

Sean made the national team in 2010 and coached where he had trained when he was in elite competition, at a gym in New Jersey run by Russian trampoline champion Tatiana Kovaleva.

"You get to feel free. It's like flying," Sean said about his love for jumping.

He retired from competition, but said in an interview that he coaches at Giguere Gymanstics in Leicester and travels with Flippenout, performing in such venues as NFL and NBA halftime shows, corporate events, college campuses, state fairs and festivals.

Flippenout has also appeared on the "The Late Show with David Letterman."

"I'm very competitive, but I used to have a shy personality," Sean said about his jumping stardom. "It took some getting used to."

Eric, a 2012 graduate of Tantasqua Regional High School in Sturbridge and the youngest brother, often jumps with Sean in Flippenout shows.

He said that when his father told the brothers about being contacted by NBC to appear on the "Today Show," he was pretty excited.

"It was cool. It was like, 'Hey, I'm going to be on TV!'" he said.

Eric, who like his brother T.J. was drawn into trampoline jumping by Sean, said that in team jumping, timing is key. The kippers have to land just before the jumper does to give him the big bounce.

"They go along for the ride. You do all the work," Eric said.

T.J. doesn't jump as much as the others anymore, focusing on college and his work as a machinist at Dexter-Russell in Southbridge.

"Pretty much I keep my feet firmly planted on the ground," he said. "Sean and Eric are like cats: They always land on their feet."

T.J. said he took last week off from work and he goes to Quinsigamond Community College at night, so he hasn't heard much local reaction yet to making the record books.

But Michael said NBC offered to find a corporate sponsor to fund a charity of Flippenout's choice, in conjunction with the TV appearance.

While the network was still working on the funding side, the Kennedys identified Limbs for Life, an Oklahoma-based nonprofit that serves people who cannot afford prosthetic limbs, as its partner charity. Flippenout is making banners to put on its trampolines to publicize the organization.

Michael said in an email: "As a matter of local interest, a Boston Marathon victim was there when we were on the 'Today' show, so we thought that was a cool back-home connection with the Limbs for Life and the Boston Marathon."

Michael added that nobody should attempt the feats that Sean, Eric and T.J. do without proper preparation.

"We don't want to see people get hurt," he said. "It's all training. Get to the gym. The training will make it more fun."

Contact Susan Spencer at susan.spencer@telegram.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanSpencerTG.

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